Introduction

Latest update: February 2021 - See Updates

Welcome to Mass Effect Indoctrination, a site dedicated to detailed analysis of the Mass Effect series with the Indoctrination Theory interpretation of the endings of Mass Effect 3 the main focus.

Since the launch of this site in April 2012 it has become widely considered one of the main sources for analysis of the Mass Effect 3 ending and for the Indoctrination Theory.

For many people the endings of Mass Effect 3 when taken at face value are unsatisfying at best and thematically offensive at worst. However many Mass Effect fans believe that Bioware intended there to be multiple interpretations of the endings that go beyond a simple literal reading. In fact Bioware have said as much.

Some people will say these interpretation are all "head canon", or that we are merely grasping at emergency induction ports in order to make ourselves feel better about how the series ended. Well maybe that's true. But I do know that all this analysis and speculation about the endings of Mass Effect 3 has actually greatly contributed to my and many other fans love of the series rather than detracted from it. And I know the way I view the endings gives me great pleasure. And I would much rather interpret the fiction in a way that makes it better than in a way that almost destroys it.

Over the coming months expect some new content as we examine the new Legendary Edition remaster of the trilogy!

Thanks

All worthy work is open to interpretations the author did not intend. Art isn't your pet — it's your kid. It grows up and talks back to you.

- Joss Whedon


6 comments:

  1. Hi!
    Did you put you effort into this, or decided it's over your head and quit eventually?..

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    Replies
    1. I have not quit, I do however have other commitments and projects. I have already put hundreds of hours into this site and the new material I intend to write is mostly retreading what is already on the site but rewriting with the changes the extended cut taken into consideration. And the new section that covers the Leviathan DLC and EC covers most of it.

      It's a large task and to be honest, since it is mostly just covering the exact same issues but noting where a few details are no longer relevant due to the EC it is not as important as the content that is already on the site. I do believe I will eventually get around to it though.

      Thanks

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  2. Hi , I love your blog. I love your posts :-) Ahh ten Mass Effect <3 also invite YOU.
    http://przygody-pani-shepard-mass-effect.blogspot.com/
    If there are any mistakes I apologize.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, you're back / still here! Awesome! :-)

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  4. Hey there, will you be reviewing Chris Hepler's comments a few months ago, where everyone is seemingly trying to interpret that he's totally "dismissing" the Indoctrination Theory as not being true at all?

    Below is a copy paste of a comment I left on a YouTube video, made by someone who was interpreting Hepler's comments that way and how I feel about it:

    "The recent so-called "dismissing" of IT from Chris Hepler (ME3 writer) was just that he and the rest of the writing team didn't originally intend for Shepard to be indoctrinated in the ending, not that they don't accept it at all right now as an interpretation. In the same interview, Hepler even admitted that he was a fan of the fan-made theory, said it was a "cool way to interpret the game" and that their original writing team "weren't that smart". So... how exactly is this a dismissal? Did anyone seriously believe that IT was intentionally written from the get go that they would take this news as a surprise? To me, it sounds more like there's still potential for it to be made canon in the follow-up game if the former ME3 writers themselves are fans of the theory and are possibly working on ME4 as well.

    Because of this, I still wouldn't rule out IT just yet. The writers can always change their minds and adopt it as canon if they like it enough, realise that the story of ME3 was rushed and think that they can offer a better conclusion. Regardless if it was originally intentional or not, it is a getaway card for them to potentially use that would help make sense of the mess that ME3's story was while giving them an opportunity to create something better from it in the sequel. Let's see what they'll do when Mass Effect 4 comes out in a few years time before passing final judgement."

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